John Smoltz was a starter and closer during his playing days for the Atlanta Braves.

Now in the early stages of retirement from the action, he’s again in the role of closer. He’ll be closing the show Thursday as the keynote speaker at the Savannah Morning News’ 2012 Best of Preps banquet at the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center.

Smoltz, who turned 45 on May 15, wasn’t sure what he would talk about to the high school honorees and guests in attendance, but he has a plethora of topics at hand.

“There might have been some stronger guys; there might have been some more talented guys, but I don’t think guys played with more passion than I did,” he said in a telephone interview.

The right-hander is almost a certain Hall of Famer after teaming with Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux to form one of baseball’s top starting threesomes ever.

Smoltz compiled a 213-155 record with a 3.33 earned-run average and, when asked to close out games, he added 154 saves (144 in a three-year span) to his career resume.

Smoltz was 15-4 with a 2.67 ERA in the postseason and was involved with arguably the most memorable games in the Braves’ history.

He started the seventh game of the 1991 World Series against the Minnesota Twins and matched shutout innings with Jack Morris before the Twins eventually won 1-0 in the 10th inning for the title.

The next year, Smoltz started another Game 7 — this one with a happier ending for Braves fans when Francisco Cabrera laced a two-run single in the bottom of the ninth inning to provide a 3-2 victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Championship Series.

No doubt Smoltz can draw from those experiences to keep an audience mesmerized.

And he can dig deeper.

“Some times I feel like a dinosaur,” he said.

Smoltz was born in Warren, Mich., and grew up in Lansing. He was an accomplished accordion player during his elementary school days until one day announcing he wanted to be a baseball pitcher.

Baseball ran deep in the family. His grandfather worked on the Tiger Stadium grounds crew for 38 years, and an uncle turned the numbers on the scoreboard.

He remembered being at a banquet to hear the Detroit Tigers’ late broadcaster Ernie Harwell speak.

Harwell and Smoltz’s summer league baseball coach Carl Wagner preached the same message.

“That was never be complacent,” Smoltz said.

Those words came in handy when he was traded from the Detroit Tigers organization to the Atlanta Braves.

“I was crushed,” Smoltz said. “When I was a kid, I rooted for everything with a Tiger uniform on it. But (the trade) turned out to be the greatest thing that ever happened to me.”

He spent 20 years with the Braves and continues to serve the community by doing baseball color commentary on television for TBS and MLB Network.

On June 8, the Braves will retire his number (29) during a ceremony at Turner Field.

Smoltz won’t confuse retirement with idle. An accomplished golfer, he has aspirations to play on the Champions Tour when he turns 50.

Ironically, one of his favorite stories about his longtime manager Bobby Cox was the day Cox gave him a day off during spring training so he could play a round of golf with Tiger Woods.

These days, Smoltz has been pitching his new book, “Starting and Closing,” written with Don Yaeger. It’s a story of perseverance and faith as Smoltz fought to overcome injuries to play a final year.

Expect to hear a little about the book on Thursday because Smoltz, a born-again Christian, lends passion to the story.

“Everyone needs motivation,” he said. “It’s a warped rewards system we live in now. We have to fight for what’s right and teach what’s right.”

BEST OF PREPS

Player of the Year winners and first-team athletes will be honored Thursday at the Savannah Morning News Best of Preps banquet. For more information, go to savannahnow.com/bestofpreps.